01
Chinese will never forget the day of the successful Olympic bid.
The reportage "China under the Five Rings" depicts the grand situation at that time: "Millions of ordinary people in Beijing went out of their homes, flocked to the streets, flocked to the China Millennium Monument, flocked to Tiananmen Square, flocked to zhongguancun science and technology park... The parade of East and West Chang'an Avenue was several kilometers long, and the introverted Chinese broke out in silence! ”
Ecstatic, only because this country has suffered too many humiliations on the road to the Olympics, the suffering experienced is too heavy and too heavy, and the feelings have been suppressed for too long and too long.
In 1896, the 1st Olympic Games were held in Greece, the Guangxu Emperor was still hovering in the shadow of the Sino-Japanese War, the word "athletics" was like a book of heaven for Empress Dowager Cixi and the qing ministers; in 1900, the 2nd Olympic Games were held in Paris, France, and the host who did not forget to send an invitation to the Qing government was forming an "Eight-Nation Alliance" with the great powers to burn and plunder China; in 1904, when the 3rd Olympic Games were held, Japan and Russia were fighting for the exclusive annexation of China. In 1908, Tianjin Youth magazine published an article asking three questions to the Chinese people: "When will China be able to send athletes to participate in the Olympic Games?" When will our athletes get an Olympic gold medal? When will our country be able to host the Olympics? "Chinese, who have been humiliated by the imperialist powers, look forward to the day when the descendants of Yan Huang will emerge.
In those years, China was so difficult, but so stubborn.
In 1932, shortly after the outbreak of the "September 18" incident, Liu Changchun angrily looked at the threats and inducements of the "puppet Manchukuo" and walked alone to the 10th Olympic Games. The article "China's First Olympic Man" reads: "The country is rich and the people are strong, and the country is poor and the people are weak. Where does the dignity of its people begin in a fallen country? Even on ships, even if you sit in first-class cabin, foreigners clearly discriminate against Chinese. ”
In 1936, Fu Baolu won the Chinese touched the Olympic medal for the first time at the 11th Olympic Games, but because he could not afford to buy the match rod that he needed to prepare, he did not play to his due level. Passing through Singapore, local newspapers satirized the cartoon of "The Sick Man of East Asia" Chinese: Under the olympic ring flag, a group of Chinese with long braids, robes and coats, and a withered face carried a large duck egg on a stretcher.
On the eve of the 16th Olympic Games, in the face of the indifference of the members of the International Olympic Committee at that time to the "one China" principle, the Chinese athletes who were ready to go resolutely unloaded their armor, shelved their dreams, and defended their dignity. He Long, who was once the director of the State Sports Commission, said: "One day they will invite us back." China, which accounts for a quarter of humanity, who can always close their eyes and say that they do not exist! ”
In response to the world's doubts, it is the stubbornness of Chinese, Liu Changchun's "One-Man Olympics", and 52 years later, his latecomers are shooting in the same arena. In 1984, Xu Haifeng won the men's self-gun 60-round slow-fire championship, achieving a "breakthrough of zero" in the gold medal list in the history of the Chinese Olympic Games. The national anthem of the People's Republic of China was played, the five-star red flag was waving in the wind, and samaranch, then president of the International Olympic Committee, excitedly said: "This is a great day in the history of Chinese sports!" A Western news agency exclaimed: "This is a feat in China's 5,000-year history!" ”
Chinese's haunting "Three Olympic Questions" is only one last question answered – when will our country be able to host the Olympic Games? This is the concern of all Chinese.
02
On August 8, 2008, the 29th Olympic Summer Games opened in Beijing. When the fireworks called "Historical Footprints" rise, the 29 huge firework footprints that amaze the world walk along the central axis of Beijing, symbolizing the Olympic spirit entering China. Looking up at Chinese came true at this moment – it took us 100 years from 1908 to 2008.
It is not an exaggeration to say that the world began to know China from that moment on. Sun Jingyan recalled his dealings with foreign journalists: "Do you know what foreign journalists asked in 2008? How many times a year do you eat meat in China? I said do you still have to ask us if we have electric lights. I was interviewing in Shougang, when an American reporter asked me, Shougang relocated for the Olympic Games, don't you think that the tea you drink has the taste of steel? In the face of these intricate problems, I can't argue with him, I can only use a very euphemistic form, and finally use wisdom. ”
For China, this "wisdom" is the depth, breadth and charm of China shown by "the world gives me sixteen days, and I give the world five thousand years". We have a strong desire to count the family treasures and tell the story of China's 5,000 years of splendid history and culture to shock the world. When the Chinese characters of "friends from afar" appear above the bird's nest, thousands of people strike and stir up a series of fire trees and silver flowers, telling the story of this nation's unity of purpose and unity; the Silk Road across the clouds of history and the West, telling the story of this nation's arduous trek and breaking the waves; the three thousand disciples of Confucius wearing feather crowns chant "Brothers in all seas", and the undulating movable type module evolves the Chinese character "He", telling the story of the humanistic concept of this nation that embraces all things and "is precious".
We're trying to tell a story out loud: "This is China!" ”
03
Fourteen years later, the Olympic flame took over from "Xiangyun" to "Flying", from summer to winter, Beijing became the first "city of double Olympics" in history, and China no longer had to explain "who I am" to the world.
If in the past 14 years, which country's GDP has increased from nearly $5 trillion to nearly $18 trillion, making it the world's second-largest economy after the United States? Which country has beautiful business cards such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Silk Road Fund, the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund, and the BRICS New Development Bank? Which country has become a mainstay in the camp of global development, and the world is willing to listen to her voice?
People are very clear about what China is and who China is, so they trust and be close.
At the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games, the vitality from spring broke through the ground, and nearly 400 glowing flexible poles such as green grass and green bamboo instantly shocked, warmed and conquered the hearts of billions of Chinese and foreign audiences. We used "Spring Breeze Willow Thousands" to tell the world a story about spring and life;
A drop of ice blue ink rushes down, the vast rivers, lakes and seas pour into the bird's nest, holding up the ice cube carved with ice jade, and the Olympic spirit of breaking boundaries and the Olympic dream of a country for a hundred years blend in it. We used "the water of the Yellow River to come up from heaven" to tell the world a story about breaking barriers and breaking through obstacles;
When 91 snowflakes printed with the names of national and regional delegations surround the endless sacred flame and form a large snowflake symbolizing unity traversing the earth, art, science and technology and Chinese romance connect the world at this moment and pin down the future. We used "Yanshan snowflakes are as big as a mat" to tell the world a story about human solidarity, common destiny, you have me, I have you.
We tell the story: "This is the world!" ”
People embrace "the same dream", walk into the "same world", and look at the beautiful prospects of "going to the future together". As Zhang Yimou, general director of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games, said: "The Beijing Winter Olympics will no longer talk about five thousand years like in the past, and before we still had a strong desire to say that we have a lot of family foundations and introduce ourselves to the world." But this time we say 'we' out loud, that is, the human beings of the whole world. China's national image has completed the transformation from being shaped by the "other" to the construction of "self" on the international stage, and finally conveys the harmonious belief of "great unity" between China and the world.
China does not explain "who I am" because the charismatic Chinese style, Chinese style, and Chinese temperament can make the world shake hands and make peace in the midst of suspicion, division and conflict, and let countries intersect with each other and the people and the people to be close; the world no longer needs China to explain, because China's amiability, respectability, calmness, and self-confidence are displayed everywhere. The world is already looking forward to the "snowflakes" that are united at the Beijing Winter Olympics, and will give birth to the miracle of how to live in the next spring.
04
Today, we finally have the confidence not to have to explain "who I am".
In 1908, on the playground of Nankai School, the school showed the students the grand event of the 4th Olympic Games held in London, and the young soul was greatly shocked and impacted. They submitted a book to tianjin youth magazine and issued the "three questions of the Olympic Games" to sting people's hearts;
In 1932, Liu Changchun set off for the United States alone. The newspaper of the day read: "I Chinese athletes went to the meeting with a single knife, and the mountains were closed... Keep my descendants free from this suffering. ”
In 2008, Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao said: "From this one hundred years back, generations of Chinese have embraced the ideals, pinned hopes, hidden pride, grievances suffered, and endured humiliations, all of which were completely released on this brilliant night." ”
In 2022, Samaranch Jr. said: "Now, China does not need to say to anyone anymore, we are coming, because China is already at the center of the world stage." ”
More than a hundred years, changed the human world. Everything is only because of the stubbornness of Chinese bones who do not accept defeat!
"Now, we are closer to the center of the world stage than ever before, closer to the goal of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation than ever before, and have the ability and confidence to achieve this goal as never before."
Column Editor-in-Chief: Qin Hong Text Editor: Fang Ying Title Image Source: Xinhua News Agency Photo Editor: Shao Jing
Source: Author: Jun Zhengping Studio Voice